Forced Decisions
by Hidden Magic
Summary: Hermione is forced to live with decisions made for her by others.
1. First Decision

"Hermione! Come down!"

Hermione sat up and stretched. She looked at her clock and saw it was 8:30am. Wondering what the hell her parents wanted with her at this time of the morning, she got dressed quickly into a pair of jeans and a black t-shirt. Walking out her door she felt something was wrong, but brushed it aside. Slowly going down the stairs, watching the steps as they past, only looking up when she saw the floor coming up at her. When her eyes lay on the sight before her, she almost fell over. There lying on the sofa was her dad, with a shocked expression on his face. The morning paper was left crumpled on the ground and tea spilt across his lap. Moving her eyes slightly over the right, she saw her mother standing, but only just, as it was clear she had been tortured. Hermione only had to look over her mother's right shoulder to see the Death Eater's mask stare back at her. This… thing was holding a wand against her mother's throat. Tears slowly began to well up in her eyes as she realized she was about to witness her mother's death. Totally unarmed she stood glaring into the slits where the eyes were hiding behind, issuing a silent challenge.

"Now, now do we really need all the dramatics?" drawled a cold, high pitched voice that could only belong to one person. Voldemort. She turned slowly towards where he stood, in a long black cloak, his long finger grasping a wand. "Hermione, I know you're not armed. We could stop this from happening, although my followers seem to have gotten a little carried away." A small smile crept its way across his face. "But your mother is still alive. We could take her from her misery if you agree to one little, tiny thing, your mother can go free."

Hermione looked into the red eyes that could make her life hell. And nodded. "What do I have to do?"

"Ah I told you she would say yes. It has to do with the Gryffindor pride I think." He said looking around all the followers that were present. "Come here. Don't be afraid, I won't bite."

'No you'll do much worse.' Hermione thought as she crossed the room to face him. Lifting her chin up, she stared defiantly into her eyes.

"Give me your right hand." He ordered in a tone that left no arguing. She felt a little more at ease knowing it was the left arm that the mark was placed on, she raised her right arm to him and he grasped her hand. His skin was like cold ice. She felt as if she had suddenly stepped into Antarctica as the coldness flew from her hand, up her arm and into her chest. From there it continued its course around her body. He held on tighter and she knew something was wrong. His eyes, the little emotion she could get from them, betrayed his innocent actions. He pulled her closer to him and spun her around so her back was pressed across his chest. Someone grabbed her left arm and she tried to break free from his grasp, but she wasn't quick enough and she felt the right side of her jeans being torn from her hip and immediately afterwards she felt an excruciating pain that left as quick as it come. She was pushed forward away from his body, but being turned around in the process. She faced his gleeful face with one full of worry.

"Welcome to our ranks, Mrs. Malfoy." He purred.

"Let my mother go! I did what you wanted, now leave us alone!" She said turning around to face her mother, not noticing the name he had called her, feeling Voldemort coming to stand behind her.

"Look down, at your hip." Hermione did so. She wanted to die. Placed on her hip was the Death Eaters mark. That black tattoo stood out clearly on her pale white skin.

"Now look over at your mother." His voice was filled with malice, but unnervingly quiet. She looked up and into the eyes of her mother. She had never seen them so weak.

"I LOVE YOU HERM-!" But she was cut off by the unmistakable yell of the worst Unforgivable.

"AVADA KEDAVRA!" A voice screamed, pointing a black wand towards her mother's chest, where underneath was the slight swell of her younger sibling. Unborn. She felt herself being pushed towards her mother. She stumbled and fell on top of the limp form. She felt a pull on her navel and knew immediately she was holding a port-key. Before she knew what was happening she landed at her new destination with a thud.

Hermione was picked up by someone strong, and then pressed onto a sofa.

"Thank you McNair." Said a voice she thought she recognized but couldn't place. She opened her eyes and stared into the man's face. Lucuis Malfoy. She knew where she was and didn't feel very at ease with it.

"Narcissa! We have a guest!" A slim, elegant woman walked through heavy oak doors and continued down the stairs towards them. She was wearing a black dress that clung to her body. From the floor to her shoulders were modest patterns, weaved in with white thread. The dress hung from her shoulder to have sleeves that were like a second skin. She sat down opposite Hermione, and it was just then that she realized she was wearing half a pair of jeans and a skin tight tee in the presence of the Malfoy elders.

"Miss Granger. What a pleasure it is to have you in our house! I'm Narcissa Malfoy and this is my husband, Lucius. I'm sure you've meet our son Draco? Have you not?"

"Yes I have. We're not particularly sociable with each other though." Hermione replied reaching for the cushion to hide her exposed side.

"Don't worry about hiding dear. We feel like we already know you. Here, I'll take you to your room and you can have a nice long sleep. I'm sure you're just bursting to see the rest of the Manor! Yes don't worry sweetheart, you can be bathed and dressed in fresh clothes after your nap!" Narcissa said enthusiastically reaching for Hermione and taking her up the stairs to her fourth floor room.

"Draco!" Lucius called when the duo were well out of hearing range.

"Yes father?" Draco replied, walking forward out of the shadows to sit where Hermione was just minutes ago.

"I believe you. The girl is amazingly beautiful. It will be a pleasure to announce her as your future bride tonight at the ball. Her hair is long and curly, nice shade of brown and she's slim and curvaceous. I believe He picked well."

"Of course I picked well, I wasn't about to give my heir an ugly bride. That just wouldn't be nice!" Voldemort replied, sweeping into the room to sit in an unoccupied arm chair. "Has Narcissa gotten the gown? Is it custom made? I would expect nothing less from her. Don't crowd the child in blacks and greens. Make it blue. Understand?"

"Yes sir." Lucius replied immediately. "Narcissa contacted Madame Izett this morning, and it was made within the hour. It is one of the designs Narcissa made herself, planning to wear it to a future, but decided this was better for Miss Granger. I can change the color from the cream it is now to dark royal blue."

"Very good Lucius. I won't have her ever wear dress-robes. No Malfoy woman from Narcissa onwards shall."

"I shall tell her immediately."

"Draco, tell me, are you pleased with your bride?" Voldemort asked turning to face Draco. Draco had gotten used to his presence and now could face him easily, having being favoured and the chosen heir, Draco had a feeling Voldemort wouldn't hurt him. As much.

"Yes. She is intelligent as well as pretty. But she may put forward an objection to the marriage and rules placed down."

"She is my follower now. She will do as I command or face the consequences. Has her wand been removed and replaced?"

"Yes it has master. A double core for her unlimited power." Lucius replied.


	2. Second Decision

Hermione was lying in the middle of a very big, yet very comfortable bed. Sitting up she looked around, dazed. She couldn't quite remember how she got where she was. Over to her left was an amazing bookshelf, filled to the brim with books, past that was a patch of wall that had been filled with a portrait of a beach. Then the door leading to the hallway. On the wall in front of her was another door. Spread evenly out were more portraits of beaches, rivers or mountains. Then on the wall to her right was a big dresser with a huge ornately carved mirror. To the right of that was some wardrobe doors. Hermione looked back at the bed. It was a four poster bed with each pole having roses and vines carved into the edges and sitting there at the bottom of the bed was an amazing blue dress.

"Oh crap. I thought it was a bad dream." She muttered as she got up from the comfortable bed. She walked over to the dressing table mirror. Hermione looked terrible. Her hair was everywhere and her clothes were torn. She then heard a small pop to her left. Her head flicked over to the intruder. It was a house elf.

"Hello Miss. I Alfred Miss. Alfred will be getting you ready today. Alfred thinks you want to look good for tonight!" He bowed, his nose touching the floor.

"What's happening tonight?" Hermione's face showed concern. Alfred stood up straight.

"Miss does not know? Alfred does not understand. Master said Miss would know." Alfred frowned. "Alfred knows!" His face lit up. "Alfred will call Master here! Master would probably want to help decide what Miss should wear to the thing Miss does not know about!" Alfred left the room.

Hermione, with nothing else to do, opened her closet. It was filled to the brim with amazingly posh looking clothes. Clothes that she knew would have cost a lot.

"Alfred said you don't know what's going on." Hermione turned. There, standing in her doorway was the one and only Draco Malfoy. "I thought Mother told you what was happening."

"Well she didn't. I'd like to know."

"There's a ball. To welcome you to the family. You will be wearing that dress." He pointed to the one on the bed.

"Ball? What ball?" Hermione's voice went up an octave.

"I just told you. Let Alfred help clean you up. You need to be ready in an hour." Malfoy left the room quickly.

"Miss you should have a shower." Alfred pushed her towards her ensuite.

Hermione stood looking at herself in a full length mirror, which resided in the hallway. She looked amazing. Her hair had been curled into thick ringlets and was styled up on top of her head, with a few wispy bits hanging around her face. The make-up didn't crowd her face, just simple lip gloss and dark eyes. The dress was the highlight in her eyes though. It was strapless and clung to her body, until her waist. It then fell straight down to the floor. The bodice had a simple line design on it. The only jewellery she had on was simple diamond earrings and a necklace with one princess cut diamond on it.

Hermione thought she looked fabulous.

"Hermione dear! Please come down now!" Narcissa was shouting up the stairs.

"How unlady-like." Hermione muttered, her features turning dark, but she obligingly walked to the grand staircase. Just before anyone could see her, she paused.

"You should probably go and see her, you know." Hermione jumped as she heard Draco's voice from behind her. She turned around.

"Wow. You look very nice. Alfred does do a good job." Draco then walked past her down the stairs. "She's coming Mother. Don't fret."

---

"Harry, sit down. We will find her." The Order of the Phoenix was crammed into the meeting room. Everyone tired after looking for Hermione all over England and the neighboring countries for the past 24 hours. They had had an anonymous tip that the Grangers were in danger. Harry was the only one with enough energy left to continue pacing. Ron walked over to him.

"We'll find her mate. We just need some rest." He put a hand on Harry's shoulder.

"We can't rest. We're wasting time. I know something isn't right. I can feel it."

"Look, we're all worried about Hermione, but if you make us search any longer, we won't be able to fight any Death Eaters we come across."

Mrs. Weasley walked to the front of the room.

"I would appreciate it if all my children went to bed. Harry can you please go too?" She looked at him worriedly.

"Mum! I'm sixteen! I shouldn't have to be told to go to bed!" Ginny stormed up the staircase, pausing to knock over the trolls leg hat stand, really loudly.

Screeches of 'Filthy Half-breeds and Disgusting Mudbloods' filled the house.

"C'mon mate, let's ago to bed." Ron walked past Harry out into the hallway and up the stairs.

Harry was lying in bed, staring up at the ceiling. He heard snoring from Ron's side of the room. He didn't get how Ron could be so calm when the 'love of his life' was missing and probably being held captive by several hundred Death Eaters at this very moment. He got up and walked over to the window. Leaning on the window sill, he opened the window and cool wind rushed at him. It felt refreshing. He was worried about Hermione. Something didn't feel right. Unfortunately for him, he didn't trust his instincts as much as he used to.

He needed time to sort out his feelings on the matter. He needed a day of not being Harry Potter.

"Yes, the amazing, fantastic, excellent, I Have No Feelings, Boy Who Lived, Harry Potter." He muttered sarcastically under his breath. "Well I do have feelings. That was proved in the last three years of my life. Maybe I don't cry, but it sure as hell rips me up in the inside." He went to step away from the window sill, when the moon caught his eye. A full moon. It looked glorious, even though it was causing one person in the household pain.

An owl swooped over the lamp post. The light flickered. He held his breath. But expelled it quickly. He was looking for any sign of the late Dumbledore. With one last glance at the moon and lamp post, he stepped away from the window, closing it behind him. Lying gently down onto his squeaky mattress, he fell into a dreamless sleep, that didn't last the whole night.

Casualties were held too lightly here in his opinion.


	3. Third Decision

Hermione was sitting in a huge chair, at a huge dining table. Everyone around her was dressed in their best clothes, eating with little dainty forks, chatting to the person beside them. She, on the other hand, was very confused as to which fork she was supposed to use and to whom she was supposed to make polite discussion with. But then again she was stuck between Draco and Blaise Zabini, so not much a choice anyway.

"So, Granger, having fun?" Blaise asked her casually, breaking the comfortable silence between the three.

Her look was dead pan. "Do you think I'm having fun? I'm stuck between you two, eating I don't know what, at a party that's welcoming me to a family I don't even like. Worst of all, I'm wearing a dress and make-up. I never wear dresses and make-up! If you were in my position, do you think you'd be having fun?"

"Well, it just depends really."

"What?"

"If you look good in a dress, why not be happy? Besides, I think Lucius is about to announce that the dancing is about to start." Hermione's eyes lit up at the thought of dancing.

"Welcome to the Malfoy Manor! I know I greeted you all at the door; I just wanted to greet you formally, altogether. As you all know, we have a very special guest here with us tonight. Hermione Granger, my son Draco's fiancé." He gestured to them. Draco pulled Hermione with him as he stood up. Everyone politely clapped. Draco pulled Hermione with as he sat down.

"We are about to enter the ballroom for dancing and then a performance by our lovely Miss Granger." Lucius swept out the room, towards the adjoining one. Everyone else slowly started to follow him. Hermione sat in her chair, stunned. She felt someone prod her in her side and turned to them.

"Perform what?"

"You can sing can't you?" Draco asked with a smirk. "Come on, we have to dance first. You can dance can't you Granger?"

"Of course I can dance. And yes, I can sing. But that doesn't mean I want to do either, especially in this house, in front of you!" She stood up and Blaise took the opportunity to grasp her elbow and pull her towards the ballroom. Draco walked in close behind.

Draco led Hermione out into the middle of the room. A slow waltz began to play.

"Ready?" He asked, as he held onto her hand and placed the other one on her hip. "It'll be nice and easy."

"Nothing is nice and easy when you're concerned." She placed her hand on his shoulder. "You lead."

After the painfully routine dance, Draco got swept off by a bunch of admirers, all begging to dance with him. Following rolling her eyes, Hermione moved to sit down, but was stopped by a hand on her shoulder.

"Will you dance with me Miss Granger?" She was spun around to look into green eyes. Surveying the rest of his face she saw he was amazingly handsome and had dark hair. No matter how gorgeous he was, she couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong about him. A simple feeling that told her 'step away from him slowly'. It could have been the way his eyes were only looking at her, or the way his touch seemed to make her shiver. Whatever it was, she brushed it aside.

"Of course." Smiling slightly at him, she allowed him to lead her to the side of the room, closest to the French doors leading to a balcony that looked over an intricate maze in the center of the huge garden.

"So, Miss Granger, are you happy to be in this family and joining it at this particular time. I'm sure you are aware of the Boy Who Lived and his slight dilemma." Feeling lulled into a sense of false security, she felt herself opening up all the thoughts she had about the Malfoys and the situation. She told a perfect stranger about how Draco had called her mudblood all through school, made her life hell and how she didn't see how Lucius and Narcissa could be any better than their 'little angel'. How she felt like she was drowning, losing her personality in the mess of the Famous Harry Potter trying to kill Voldemort and how Voldemort keeps luring Harry and it keeps working. How she didn't know what to think anymore, about anything. How everything was frustrating her. Even the small things.

"Very interesting Miss Granger. Perhaps we'll talk again soon." With that he swept away from her, leaving her alone to look out over the complex garden maze.

"Personally I don't see what's so interesting about the garden, but if you enlighten me maybe we'll chat about it." Someone had walked up behind Hermione.

"So, they finally let you go, did they?" She knew exactly who it was that was talking to her.

"Having a bunch of admirers is fun, maybe you should try it." Draco leaned forward, onto the balcony railing, beside her.

"Who would want to be an admirer of me?" Hermione looked over at him.

"The person who you were dancing with just before might have wanted to join."

"Oh, jealousy doesn't suit you Malfoy. And I'm afraid after our talk, where I completely spilled my heart out to him, I'm pretty sure he doesn't want to any more. I don't know what made me talk to him so readily."

"Perfect strangers usually make others around them open up, faster than to a friend even." There was a pause. Nothing was said, and the two enjoyed the silence as they gazed out to the stars above them.

"Guys, I suggest we go now." Blaise Zabini was walking steadily towards them.

"Why?" Hermione asked frowning. Draco caught the worried look in Blaise's eyes, and grabbed Hermione's elbow and started to lead to lead her off to the middle of the dance floor.

"Look, just follow us." Draco looked at her, eyebrows raised. For the life of her, she couldn't understand why she trusted him.

"Ok." Why was it, that with that small, simplistic word she felt like she was handing her life over to them on a silver platter?

Hermione allowed the two to lead her out into the hallway, up two flights of stairs, into a room she didn't recognize. It was starting to feel like some creepy horror movie, where people who pretend to be your friends lead you away into a secluded room, while no one was watching and then tortured and killed you.

"Wait." Hermione pulled her elbow out of Draco's grip, getting steadily more scared by the looks passed between Blaise and Draco as they walked. "Where are we?" She looked apprehensively at her surroundings.

"We're in one of the lounges. Except this one has a very special door, over there." Draco pointed to a door that resided in the far side of the room, between a bookcase and painting of a long dead relative who was snoring.

"Quick." Blaise was looking at the door. He squinted his eyes at the door and it clicked locked.

"Wandless magic? Why didn't you tell me?" Hermione looked immensely shocked.

"There are a lot of things we didn't tell you. But right now we don't have time to tell you. There are also many other wizards and witches who don't reveal themselves either." Blaise said hurriedly.

"Such as? Harry Potter?" Hermione glared at him.

"No, Potter's arch enemy. The man you were dancing with was Voldemort."


End file.
